Electric contact device used with push-button activation



4 Sheets-Sheet 1 \\\\K\\\\ FIMI FIG. I

G. JUE'RY ELECTRIC CONTACT DEVICE USED WITH PUSH-BUTTON ACTIVATION Filed June 26. 1968 May 26, 1970 May 26, 1970 G. JUE'RY 3,514,565

ELECTRIC CONTACT DEVICE USED WITH PUSH-BUTTON ACTIVATION Filed June 26, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 G. JUERY May 26, 1970 ELECTRIC CONTACT DEVICE USED WITH PUSH-BUTTON ACTIVATION 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 26, 1968 May 26, 1970 G. JUERY 3,514,565

ELECTRIC CONTACT DEVICE USED WITH PUSH-BUTTON ACTIVATION Filed June 26, 1968 FIG. 9

FIG. 70

4 Sheets$heet United States Patent Int. Cl. nom 9/16 US. Cl. 200-167 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electric contact device for push buttons utilizing a curved flexible strip gripped at its free end by one arm of an intermediate pivotal member which is activated through cam action on another of its arms.

The invention relates to an electric contact device which may be employed in various industrial fittings, in particular for push-buttons and, more particularly still, pushbuttons provided with a luminous signalling device for electric control panels.

Such luminous buttons are already known in which a signal lamp is incorporated in and concentric with the push-button. Since it is necessary to place a contact device under the button, one must provide a base sufliciently large to house the contacts, which much greater than the width of the button. If it is desired to accommodate several' similar devices side by side, mounting takes up too much space on the synoptic diagram of the panel.

This is the case with electric contact devices in which a cam effect is exerted on the free end of a flexible contact strip by means of an intermediate element. The free end of the strip carries a movable stud which may enter into contact with a stationary stud.

In a known device of this kind the intermediate element is a pivoting element with two arms, one of said arms receiving the action of the push-button and the other arm acting on the free end of the strip.

Other devices are also known in which the contacts occupy no more space than the push-button.

Generally speaking, in these devices, the cam effect is exerted directly on the free end of a contact strip.

In one of these devices the flexible strip is straight and thus requires great depth to accommodate itself.

In another of these devices the control member acts on the free end of a curved strip, deforming it. However, the setting up of the contact is not firm, the pressure of the movable contact stud of the strip on the stationary stud varying according to the final position of the control member or the final position of the control member on the strip.

The invention removes these disadvantages. It provides a contact device of compact shape and which may easily be housed within a perimeter but little larger than that of the push-button without increasing the necessary depth of the panel while at the same time preserving a firm contact. It also provides a contact system which may easily be transformed from the working contact arrangement to the idle contact arrangement. Finally, it permits what is called over-travel, that is to say that the opening or closing path of the contact studs remains independent of a more or less long action of penetration of the control push-button.

The invention relates to a contact device of the type in which the cam effect exerts itself on the free end of a flexible contact strip by means of a pivoting intermediate element with two arms, the one actuated by the pushbutton, the other acting on the strip, characterized in that the strip is curved and that the free end of the latter is gripped by the arm of the intermediate element acting thereon, whereas the other arm comprises two surfaces, viz, one surface parallel to the path of the push-button and a slanting surface forming a cam relative to the pivotin g point of the intermediate element.

The push-button with the actuating rod slides in a base provided with an oblong chamber receiving two pivoting spindles and, at its centre, the actuating rod which carries two dogs on opposite faces, whereas two intermediate elements or inverted strikers are actuated on either side by said dogs. The push-button may be luminous and comprise a chamber in which is housed a signal lamp whereas the actuating rod sliding in the chamber of the base ends in a fork to surround the lamp.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are views in longitudinal and orthogonal section the one relative to the other of a device according to the invention;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are views on a larger scale showing two different actuating strikers and their accessory members;

FIGS. 5 to 8 are explanatory diagrams of the operation of said strikers;

FIG. 9 is a broken perspective view of the whole device according to the invention;

FIG. 10 shows, in elevation, several devices according to the invention arranged side by side.

The electric contact device according to the invention comprises at least one insulating striker l1 capable of pivoting about a stationary spindle 2. A flexible strip 3 curved in a semicircle is secured by one of its ends 4 to a stationary conducting terminal 5. The other end 6 of the strip carries a movable contact 7 and is gripped, before the contact between two elongated lugs 8a fixed one op posite the other at the end of an extension 8 of the striker. It will be understood that due to its pivoting the said striker may bring the movable contact 7 of the strip 3 against a stationary contact 9 integral with another stationary conducting terminal '10.

The pivoting of the striker 1 may be realised by means of an operating dog 11 carried by a sliding rod 12 integral with the push-button 13. This operating dog 11 may operate a lateral extension or arm 14 of the striker. This arm is provided with two surfaces 15 and 16 for contact with the dog.

The surface 15 is parallel to the path of the dog 11. The surface 16 is slanting.

In FIGS. 1, 3, 5 and 6, the parallel surface 15 precedes, relative to the beginning of the arm, the slanting surface 16.

In FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, the parallel surface 15 follows the slanting surface 16, always relative to the beginning of the arm.

In the first case, the obliqueness of the surface 16 is directed towards the stationary pivoting spindle 2 of the striker, whereas, in the second case, it diverges therefrom.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1, 3, 5 and 6, the slanting surface 16 permits, when the direction of the dogs travel is f the escape of the arm 14 and thus the pivoting of the striker 1 under the action of a spring 17 hearing on a stationary point 17a. During its pivoting, the striker 1 forces the movable contact 7 against the stationary contact 9. When the dog travels in the direction 3, the slanting surface 16 acts as a cam and straightens up the position of the striker 1 against the spring 17, so that the movable contact 7 leaves the stationary contact 9.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, a movement of the dog 11 in the direction f produces a cam effect of the slanting surface 16 and the pivoting of the arm 14, thus of the striker 1. This pivoting separates the movable contact 7 from the stationary contact 9. When the dog 11 moves in the direction f the slanting surface permits the escape of the arm 14 striker 1 unit and the pivoting of this unit results in the contact 7 bearing against the stationary contact 9.

It is thus clear that the device such as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 5 and 6, is a working contact device (contact upon penetration of the push-button), whereas the one shown in FIGS. 4, 7 and 8 is an idle contact device (contact upon return of the push-button under the action of its recall spring 18).

In any case, it is easy to transform a contact device of one type into a contact device of another type. It suffices for this to change the striker 1.

The device according to the invention may be provided with two pivoting spindles 2 and it is thus possible to adapt thereto two strikers which may be of the same type or of different types.

It is however obvious that, in a device of this kind, the sliding rod 12 has two operating dogs 11 on opposite faces of said rod and that the strikers are in inverted positions the one relative to the other.

It must be observed that these different modifications and devices in no way change the dimensions of the base 19 of the device which, of general prismatic shape, has an outer perimeter substantially corresponding to that of the push-button.

The base 19 has in the inside an oblong chamber 19a designed to receive the unit constituted by the sliding rod 12, the striker of strikers 1 and the flexible strip or strips 3 carrying the movable contacts.

The bed 20 of the base is traversed by the current supply terminals 5 and 10 connected, respectively, to the flexible strips 3 and the stationary contacts 9.

At the opposite end of its bed, the base 19 receives in grooves or recesses 21 ratchet springs 22 so that it may be fixed on the supporting plate 23. A flange 24 of the base limits its penetration in the plate 23.

The push-button 13 may have on the inside a chamber 25 (communicating with the chamber 19a of the base) adapted to receive a signal lamp 26 fixed in a socket 27. Wires 28 and 29 supply the current to the lamp.

According to this arrangement, the sliding rod 12 comprises a fork the arms 30 of which surround the lamp.

Generally speaking, the shape of the push-button and its base is very compact and permits the accommodation of the control and contact members, without increasing the perimeter of the base nor its depth behind the supporting plate 23.

As a result of this, several devices according to the invention may be placed side by side without taking up much room (see FIG. 10).

Finally, it should be noted that the opening or closing path of the contacts is independent of a more or less long penetration travel of the push-button 13 and thus of the sliding rod 12, alone the surfaces 15 and 16 of said rod intervening in this case. Once their action undertaken, it is of little importance whether the rod 12 be in overtravel.

Generally speaking, the above description has been given only in an explanatory manner and is in no way limitative and the invention may comprise numerous modifications in conformity with its spirit.

. I claim:

1. An electric contact device for use with push-buttons Comprising at least one curved flexible strip having a free end and carrying a movable contact stud on said free end mounted opposite a stationary contact stud,

and a pivotally mounted intermediate element having two arms, a first arm actuated by a push-button and a second arm acting on said flexible strip by gripping said free end thereof,

said first arm having two surfaces, one of said surfaces parallel to the path of movement of the pushbutton, the other of said surfaces forming a cam oblique relative to the path of movement of the push-button whereby the device has a perimeter not greater than that of the push-button.

2. The device according to claim 1 in which said second arm of said intermediate element includes two lugs located to grip said flexible strip,

said flexible strip is curved in the form of substantially a semicircle.

3. The device according to claim 1 in which a spring connected to said intermediate element facilitates the pivoting of said element.

4. The device according to claim 1 in which said surface parallel to the path of the push-button and said oblique surface are inverted the one relative to the other so as to produce two different operations for a same travel of the push-button.

5. The device according to claim 1 further including a base in which the push-button slides and an oblong chamber in said base, said oblong chamber containing an extension of the push-button in the shape of an actuating rod,

two dogs carried on opposite faces of said actuating rod,

a second intermediate element in inverted relationship to said first-mentioned intermediate element pivotally mounted on spindles with said intermediate elements actuated by said dogs which each cooperate with a surface parallel to the path of the push-button and an oblique surface.

6. The device according to claim 5 further including a bed in the lower part of said base,

current supply terminals traversing said bed and connected to stationary contacts and to flexible strips carrying movable contacts.

7. The device according to claim 5 further including grooves made on the periphery of the base of general prismatic shape,

ratchet springs housed in said grooves.

8. The device according to claim 5 further including a chamber in the push-button,

a signal lamp housed in said chamber,

the actuating rod of the push-button which slides in said oblong chamber of said base ending in a fork so as to surround said lamp.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,163,740 12/1964 Ross. 3,265,847 8/1966 Pain. 3,274,369 9/1966 Quinn. 3,320,394 5/1967 Verneau. 3,334,209 8/1967 Hill et al.

H. O. JONES, Primary Examiner 

